Chosen
by hawktakesflight
Summary: Chomesuke's time is almost up. In the titanic battle, her hand fumbles with the small lightweight cloth containing Bookman's present, and she smiles as she knows her fate. Seventh, and last chapter up - correctly, this time. Thanks to all who R&R.
1. To Edo

**Hello all.**

**This is the first chapter of **_**Chosen**_**, a fic about Chomesuke, the converted Akuma. Apologies in advance if this first chapter seems a little slow, the pace will definitely pick up in the next couple of chapters.**

**So, please enjoy… Thank you all for reading, reviews and constructive criticism is definitely welcome.**

**hawk**

---

Chosen

Sachiko slowly led the group up the ancient Japanese steps. Under the dark cover of night, nothing else seemed to be stirring, save the cherry blossoms which fell silently about them from the towering trees above. On either side of the long flight of steps, a row of Japanese banners was lined up, and occasionally Sachiko would peer behind them or instruct the group to hide behind them at the slightest sound.

Dressed in a pink kimono, Sachiko wore traditional Japanese wooden shoes and a large bow on her back, a symbol of a young, unmarried Japanese woman. She herself was rather attractive, with Lavi's immediate reaction being "K- K- Kawaii!" A lantern in her hand cast a small circle of light around her and the group, illuminating the steps immediately in front of her, and lighting up her face in a slightly eerie glow. Step, by cautious quiet step, she led the group up the flight of steps, the rest following her lead.

The ragtag group following her were mildly exhausted, although they kept up with her. Wearing gray cloaks over their black-and-silver coats, they walked silently behind her, their faces half-lit up by the weak lantern light. Together with Sachiko, this group did not seem to have major anything out of place, except for one small detail.

Sachiko was dead.

---

"_Akuma" was what they were called – literally translated as "demon" – born of love, desperation and sorrow. And if one's loved one – brother, sister, parent, child, lover – had died an unnatural death, there was a chance of this love being exploited._

_At the grave of the deceased where the living wept, the creator of the Akuma might appear and offer his "services" to bring the dead back to life. Being the smooth-talker he was, added to the fact that the living usually had their thinking faculties addled with grief, they usually accepted, joyfully calling their dead loved ones into a mechanical skeleton, then trying to embrace it._

_And then, the Akuma would kill them._

_Not instantly, usually. The creator would explain, with the patience of a teacher teaching a child, the workings of the Akuma. The soul of the loved one powered the mechanical body it was in, but had no control over it – that control lied exclusively with the creator. At this point in time, the loved one would usually scream through the mechanical skeleton – crying its fate, and yelling at the bewildered living why he or she had condemned it to the fate of an Akuma. The creator would then smile, and give the screaming, unwilling Akuma the command, demonstrating his control in front of the now-frightened living._

_And then, the Akuma would kill them._

---

"Chomesuke?" Sachiko – or "Chomesuke", as she was nicknamed, due to her inexplicable habit of adding "cho" to the end of her sentences – turned. A gray shawl was pulled back, revealing a red-haired head of teenager, with an eyepatch over one of his eyes.

"How long more? I'm beat..." Lavi pulled an exaggerated face of fatigue. Chomesuke smiled, but motioned for Lavi to be quiet. "We should be reaching a safehouse soon, cho," her high-pitched, child-like voice drifted back to the weary group, which brightened up at the promise of rest.

Sachiko – or Chomesuke, as she was called – was an Akuma. She had shed the form of the mechanical skeleton, instead evolving to take on a larger, bulkier form, and acquired a kind of consciousness, repressing the screams of the soul that powered her metallic body. Yet, at her will, she could clothe herself with the attractive body of the girl she first killed in the graveyard all those years ago – grisly, but it concealed the more sinister form of the Akuma within.

Chomesuke was a friendly Akuma, nonetheless, forcibly converted from her previous bloodthirsty form. As machines, Akuma could possibly be reprogrammed, but only one alone knew the secret. And this one man had already met, subdued, and converted Chomesuke in order to further his goals.

And now, Chomesuke was leading them to him.

"Cross-gensei is an idiot," Lavi mindlessly kicked a small rock, sending it flying down the endless flight of steps. With each bounce, the cold rock floor responded with a _click_, unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent night. Immediately, Chomesuke froze, her shoulders locking, then turned and quickly started pushing the group to hide amongst the banners on the side. They didn't protest, but obediently slid in between the banners, hidden from sight.

Once safely concealed, she turned and faced Lavi. "Shut up," she hissed softly, her amber eyes revealing a mixture of frustration and pure fear. "We don't want to get into any more trouble cho…" Lavi wanted to retort, but his eyes took in Chomesuke's terrified face and his words died on his tongue.

There was reason to Chomesuke's fear. Japan was the land of the Earl, the Akuma's creator. Each Akuma possessed superhuman strength or powers, near-mindless drives to kill, and an insatiable appetite for blood. With a network of countless thousands of Akuma worldwide, as well as his own superior prowess in combat, the Earl was indeed a formidable foe.

And Japan was his base.

His heavily fortified base.

_---_

_Chomesuke was a Level Two Akuma – one that had evolved from its primal mechanical skeleton and had literally taken on a consciousness of its own. Chomesuke had assumed a bubbly, carefree nature, with an innocent-sounding voice, coupled with her attractive human "skin", all of which served to lull nearby people into a false sense of security. Until, of course, she killed them._

_Behind the thin layer of human flesh, Chomesuke's true form was a slightly more unpleasant sight to behold. Towering, yellow, and vaguely humanoid, she easily was much taller than the tallest human. Possessing overpowering strength belying her innocent façade, as well as mechanical flight capabilities, she was indeed a force to be reckoned with. Lavi was glad she was on their side, though._

_As powerful as she was, she was no match for superior Akuma. Level Threes were such an example – tall humanoid knights-in-shining-armour, except that these knights were not here to rescue anyone. Looking physically weaker than Chomesuke, they possessed supernatural powers imbued by their continual killing, easily allowing them to dispatch a large crowd of humans and multiple Level Two Akumas at one time if ever the occasion rose._

"_Ninety percent of the population is Akuma, cho," Chomesuke had earlier informed them. As the group shuddered and stepped up the first steps of the long flight of steps, Chomesuke had went on talking, calmly stating facts as if she was discussing the weather. "The government is filled with Akuma, and politics is entirely orchestrated by the Earl-sama himself, cho. Thousands of superior Akuma, above Level Three, reside in Japan…"_

"_Above Level Three?" Lavi had remarked. "That's a good sign."_

_---_

Bookman brought up the rear of the group, silently padding up the long stone walk. The older man was a Bookman, a select group of historians who had cut off all outside ties, and lived only to record history as it unfolded, and not to get emotionally involved in anything. Bookman had spent his life following this creed, but the red-haired imbecile didn't seem to get it.

He had taken Lavi in, under his wing, an aspiring Bookman. Lavi had done well as a historian, but he didn't seem to be able to completely put aside his emotions. Even now, he seemed to be attracted to Chomesuke… In fact, he was now talking to the Akuma like they had known each other for years. Who knows, that Akuma might leak information out to the Earl… "Idiot," Bookman muttered under his breath as he tried to catch up with the rest of the group.

Suddenly, from the back of the pack, Bookman saw Chomesuke stop, then turn excitedly to the rest of the group, gesturing. "Come quickly cho! We've reached the safehouse!" she cried out in a hoarse whisper. Even at that sound, the group's mood seemed to brighten tenfold, and they moved with a renewed vigour into the small building. Chomesuke stood at the door, counting the humans as they went in, much like a shepherd counting sheep... Bookman was the last, and as he crossed the threshold he turned and glanced at the Akuma. Chomesuke stared at him, perplexed for an instant, but then smiled softly.

He nodded curtly as Chomesuke stepped in behind him and drew the door shut with a soft _click_.

---

"Ah, this is great! I'm so tired…" Lavi literally threw himself onto the hard floor, lying down and closing his eyes. The others found their own positions and they soon were drifting into an uneasy sleep. Chomesuke stood by the window, elbows on the sill, peering outwards towards the gray sky.

"Tim! Tim, come back cho…" A golden sphere hovered in the air for a second, then flapped its wings and hastily flew in through the window. Timcampy was a wireless golem once belonging to General Cross Marian – the person this group sought – a round golden ball with intricate markings on it, and a pair of fine, almost feathered wings. Although it was a robotic machine, it still seemed to have some semblance of sentience, and it had instantly recognized Chomesuke from their first meeting so many years ago.

Timcampy alighted on Chomesuke's head, nuzzling his body slightly into Chomesuke's long almond hair. Chomesuke laughed softly, then shut the window.

"He likes you." Chomesuke nodded slowly, then turned to face Bookman. The small, wizened old man stood, staring up into her face, his features unreadable. Chomesuke chose to run her fingers through Timcampy's wings, which beat lightly as if to affirm what Bookman had said.

"Go to sleep, Bookman," she advised. "The road to Edo is long and dangerous, cho, and you will need all your strength and awareness cho…" "I am aware of that," Bookman calmly responded. "Are you sure General Cross is in Edo?"

Chomesuke glanced out the crack in the window, seeing the endless path stretch out in front of her. Edo was further inland, and to reach it one had to cross multiple forest paths, natural dangers… and of course, Akuma. She herself was not immune from danger, and she shuddered from the thought of the possibility of her capture. Bookman noticed this and looked at her even more keenly with a questioning eye.

Eventually she steeled herself, turning her head slightly to look at Bookman in the eye. "Yes, cho," she finally said, her quiet, childlike voice carrying a subtle tone of conviction and determination. "… and I will do all that is in my power to bring you there."

---

The long fingers delicately gripped another small piece of metal, flicking it into the darkness where it landed with a soft _clang_. The other hand still holding the first silver of metal, using it to pick away at a row of long, gray teeth, like a crude and macabre toothpick. Eventually the Akuma got bored of this and dropped the metal silver, crushing it under an armoured foot.

The Level Three Akuma breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of the surroundings, and then slowly exhaled in a satisfied sigh.

"Humans."


	2. Hostage

**Hello all.**

**First off, my apologies for taking so long, recently the real world has been rather taxing. I hope to update more frequently in the future.**

**Also, many thanks to all readers and reviewers... Thanks goes out to Diclonious57, Kyuu333 (whom I also thank for support for **_**Remembrance**_**!) and waterlit... Thanks also goes to lupyne, who although with "pretty much zero knowledge" on -man, is still kind enough to read and review! Thanks a lot, all of you...**

**Additionally, I will be staying true to (most of) the manga storyline, although I will borrow from the anime. Chomesuke's story is not really specifically sketched out, and I hope I can make that interesting without deviating too far from the manga.**

**That being said, thank you all for reading, and I hope you will continue to enjoy this fic.**

**hawk**

---

Chosen – Chapter Two

High in the dark night sky, the crescent moon loomed large and ominous, casting a faint shadow across the earth. Chomesuke traced the edge of the shadow with her eyes, lightly resting her chin in her cupper hands as the wind played with her long brown hair. Straightening up, she surveyed the surroundings from her vantage point on the roof, and saw nothing other than a dusty dirt path, the surrounding forest and plenty of trees. With a soft sigh, she settled herself on the rooftop again, continuing her vigil.

With luck, they would survive the night, make it safely to Edo, she wouldn't get captured – here she shuddered involuntarily – and then what? She didn't really know. Still, she comforted herself in the fact that she had a goal for now, and that helped to distract her from her impending doom.

---

"Wake up cho..." Chomesuke shook Lavi's shoulder gently, then roughly. "Bookman Junior cho! Wake up!" The apprentice Bookman yawned, then sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The Akuma went on to awaken the rest of the motley crew while Lavi blinked a couple of times, attempting to stay awake.

She triumphantly stood in the corner of the old warehouse and counted the humans as they groggily got to their feet. There was Lavi, "the redheaded imbecile" according to Bookman, Lenalee and Miranda, both exhausted and tired, Krory, a rather sinister-looking yet naïve and gentle man, and the three sailors, Kie, Masao and Chaoji. _One, three, four, six... _"Hmm..." Chomesuke muttered to herself, a slight frown playing on her lips.

"Hey. Shouldn't we be moving?" The voice of Bookman cut through the morning air, and they saw the silhouette of the old man framed in the doorway of the house. "_Hai_!You're up early cho!" Chomesuke smiled. Bookman didn't return the smile. "As you said, it's a long and dangerous road, so the faster we start, the faster we'll reach." Chomesuke nodded curtly, then fell silent.

After five minutes of yawning and complaining, with a lot of herding by Bookman and Chomesuke (particularly on Lavi, Bookman had to physically drag his apprentice off the floor by his ear), the odd company set off on their trek once again.

---

_Tsch._ The soft sound of metal hitting the dusty floor. Chomesuke immediately froze. If she were human and alive, the blood would have run cold in her veins, but seeing as she wasn't either of that, her immediate reaction was to spin around, her pink kimono whirling about her, but saw nothing. An instant later, she found a thick purple thread wrapping itself quickly around her waist like a lasso, with its other end trailing off into the darkness off the path.

"Chomesuke!" Lavi was the first to react, instinctively reaching for her. But it was no use as the lasso tightened, pulling Chomesuke to the floor and backwards, hauling her off the path into the darkness. "Run away cho!" she yelled back at them, her voice raised in pitch and urgency. The lantern had she held clattered uselessly to the floor as the pink kimono rapidly vanished into the darkness.

Chomesuke was dragged quickly backwards, skidding across the dusty floor. Before she could react, the Akuma leapt across to her and struck her multiple times, eventually impaling her on a glowing purple network of suspended lines resembling a spiderweb. Chomesuke struggled weakly, but could not break free, knowing that it was useless against the superior Level Three, and resigned herself to her fate.

The Level Three landed softly on the dusty path, carefully dusting his hands. It was then that the small gang of humans arrived on the scene, huddled together, while Lavi and Bookman tensed as they saw what they were up against.

---

Truth be told, they weren't all ordinary humans. The three ex-sailors were human enough, and at this point of time were scared stiff. Lavi, Krory, Lenalee, Miranda, and even Bookman were Exorcists – a select group of people who had the inborn ability to control certain supernatural powers granted by the mysterious material "Innocence". In using the Innocence, the Exorcists stood a chance of destroying Akuma, obliterating the mechanical workings and freeing the trapped soul within.

Lavi, Krory and Bookman were ready to do battle, although none of them were well prepared or experienced enough to face off even a single Level Three, even together. Lenalee and Miranda were also Exorcists, but were fatigued, exhausted and unable to use their weapons due to their excessive usage before their arrival on Japan. Miranda still winced at the memories – her Innocence had not been enough to save the shipload of sailors, of which the three with them were the only survivors – and despite encouragement and support from the other Exorcists and sailors, she still mentally beat herself for it.

Lenalee was by far the most experienced of the lot – but she was exhausted and incapable of battle – ironically, due to a battle with the first Level Three they had encountered, on their journey to Japan – which she had only narrowly won at a high cost, and would have died if it was not for Chomesuke's timely intervention.

And so, with the element of surprise on the Akuma's side, Lenalee and Miranda out of commission, and Chomesuke helplessly held hostage, Lavi, Krory and Bookman faced increasingly stacked odds against the solitary Level Three which leered at them now.

---

The Level Three, knowing this, laughed, a cold, heartless laugh. "What now?" it snickered, smirking at the group of humans.

True to his form, Lavi disregarded the cold stance Bookmen were supposed to have, as well as the cold glare from Bookman, and charged at the Akuma. A small, black mallet in his hand suddenly grew larger, imbued with an eerie green glow. His Innocence which took the shape of a hammer, he reasoned to himself, was the only way to save Chomesuke, and so into the fray he charged. Lavi yelled, and in response, the mallet doubled in size, its enormous bulk crashing down onto where the Akuma stood a second ago. Lavi frantically looked around for it, before being punched viciously in the gut by the smirking Akuma.

Krory charged forward, and latched himself onto the Akuma. An otherwise comical sight – a middle-aged man literally hugging a tall metallic armourplate – Krory's teeth contained an odd form of the Innocence, which forcefully grew his teeth out into fangs, capable of sucking Akuma blood and thereby destroying them. It helped that Akuma blood helped, to some extent, to strengthen Krory and to increase his bloodlust in battle, and so he looked forward to his first taste of Level Three blood.

He didn't get it. His fangs barely pierced the armour, while the Akuma looked on him with mock concern. "What, you alright?" Krory said nothing of the awkward situation, partially because a blow from the Akuma sent him stumbling backwards, eventually causing him to fall painfully.

Lavi raised his hammer once more. A large circle of light expanded outwards from his hammer, with the Japanese kanji for fire etched onto it. An additional benefit of this particular weapon, he thought, was the choice between brute force and elemental magic. And in this case, his tactical mind reprimanded him, brute force would definitely fail.

"Hi Ban!" The Fire Seal was executed, a large pillar of flame issuing forth from the circle and engulfing the Akuma squarely within it. The flame burned without smoke, swallowing up everything in its path. The ancient stone tiles blackened, the rough wooden ruins of a shelter flared up, were reduced to ashes, and disappeared. Lavi grinned slightly.

Until he heard the laughter.

From within the flaming pillar, the Akuma was laughing. And when the fire finally dissipated, it cracked its neck and fixed its gaze on the slightly panting Exorcist. "That the best you can do?" Lavi didn't respond, but gripped his hammer tighter, slowly circling the battlefield while never taking his eyes off the Akuma. Unfazed, the Akuma casually strolled over to where Chomesuke was suspended, the kimono-clad figure trying her best to shrink away from it.

"Or shall I just eat her first, hmm?" The Akuma taunted, drawling out its words, and then leaned close to Chomesuke, rasping a gray tongue across her cheek. Chomesuke flinched, her eyes shut tight, and braced herself for the cold teeth of the Akuma on her neck.

---

_Why was Chomesuke leading them anyway?_

_The answer: Akuma._

_The group was originally supposed to follow another converted Akuma, one of Sachiko's close friends, after Chomesuke had completed her task of guiding them to the shores of Japan. How ironic. What was not ironic, however, was when their future guide was attacked. Mere seconds after they had met, three Level Three Akuma had ambushed her, pinning her down. And then, they each took a bite from the twisting Akuma, ripping off bits of the inner mechanical workings as well as pieces of flesh._

"_When Akuma density is abnormally high, like in Japan, this kind of thing happens," Chomesuke's voice was more subdued than ever. "Akuma bloodlust is hard to control, and every so often they attack other Akuma, kill them, eat them, to satisfy their hunger." The group of humans had remained silent through the ordeal, many choosing not to look as the trio polished off their unfortunate victim, eventually only leaving behind pieces of scrap metal._

_It was a miracle that they had survived at all. Chomesuke had pushed them into the banners quickly enough, saving them all from the Akuma's keen eyes, although she could have sworn one of them looked at the banners for a longer period of time than what was comfortable, although the lure of food soon re-attracted the Akuma._

"_Still, that's not nearly enough... Akuma bloodlust can only be properly satisfied by humans," she smiled sadly, despite herself. "In here, no one is safe... Not even Akuma."_

---

"What's an Akuma doing amongst humans, anyway, hmm?" The Level Three crooned softly, still not letting Chomesuke out of its sight. Not that Chomesuke was going anywhere anyway, the unfortunate Level Two being effectively trapped in the larger-than-life spiderweb. A weak "cho..." was all Chomesuke whined in response, and this did nothing to assuage the Level Three's curiosity or hunger, and in fact Lavi could have sworn that it licked its lips.

Once again, the Level Three leaned closer, its face mere inches away from Chomesuke's neck, and this time it bared its fangs.


	3. Attack

**Hello all.**

**Apologies for the late update... and thanks to Diclonious57, pike318, waterlit and lupyne, as well as Genocideking Archfiend. Thanks for all your support...**

_**Chosen**_** appears to be less and less Chomesuke-centric, but it will all make sense in the end, I hope. **

**Thanks for reading, reviews and criticism are definitely welcome. So, without any further ado, please enjoy.**

**hawk**

---

Chosen – Chapter Three

_Shkk-thunk. _The Level Three paused, its fangs almost touching Chomesuke's bare neck. Slowly, it straightened up, cracked its neck, then turned to face Lavi. Lavi's hammer had extended, such that even from where he stood, the long black handle of his hammer covered the distance and its head nestled in the open palm of the Akuma. The Akuma gripped and ungripped the mallet head, as if interested in it, then snickered. "Now what?"

"This. _Shin!_" The mallet flashed, and its handle grew even longer. The mere explosive force of its growth pushed the Akuma backwards into a wall, a small cloud of dust partially obscuring it from view. From behind Chomesuke, Krory's own fangs tore through the web-like strings, dropping a weakened Chomesuke to the ground. Stumbling to her feet, she shook her head a little while Krory stood beside her and looked on anxiously.

The Level Three Akuma, of course, was impossible to defeat so easily – and what's more, the opportunity for so much to satisfy its bloodlust drove it practically insane. Lavi suddenly found himself being lifted bodily off his feet as the Akuma grabbed the hammer's head and swung it around, before finally releasing it and sending Lavi crashing into the ground. The armoured knight nightmare yelled an inhumane roar, the humans involuntarily taking one step back. Throwing back his head, an orb of purple light started to form, light dribbling from its maw down its chin.

"Run!" Lavi commanded, the other Exorcists and humans suddenly finding their senses, tearing their eyes away from the Akuma. Stumbling over their steps, they quickly picked their way out of the battle zone, heading for the (relative) cover of the trees. Lavi suddenly realised a huge tactical error on his part – the trees could be destroyed in an instant if the Akuma wished to do so, and they would be even more tired out from running, not to mention that the three sailors would become sitting ducks as they tried to support the injured Exorcists Lenalee and Miranda. Bookman had shot him a cold glare, before leaping away.

Lavi tried to clear his mind, but his foot snagged on a broken tile – _Ironically, the one that I broke with Hi Ban earlier on, _his usually-sharp mind belatedly noted – and sent him sprawling onto the ground. Just at that moment, the Level Three fired its purple beam of destruction at the closest target – Lavi, of course. He winced, and stumbled to his feet, knowing he wouldn't be in time anyway, he didn't want to go on the record as having lain on the floor as he died –

A whirl of pink, purple and yellow, and a loud _CLANG_ sound filled the air as Chomesuke leaped in between Lavi and the Akuma. Already in her Akuma form, she had shed her humanlike skin to reveal the bipedal, mechanical machine beneath. Lifting up a large yellow limb, the Level Two successfully deflected the shot, although she stumbled backwards into Lavi, smoking slightly.

"Run!" She cried as the Akuma jumped backwards to avoid its own shot, which was now reflected back at it. The beam of light struck the tiled floor, sending tiles, earth, and a century's worth of dust flying everywhere, Chomesuke, taking advantage of this opportunity to swoop upon the tired sailors and Exorcists, carried the five in her large yellow arms. Lavi, Krory and Bookman hurried after the disappearing yellow shadow, while the Akuma screamed curses as them from behind.

Leaping through the undergrowth, Bookman knew that Chomesuke had already considered the futility of the situation. Perhaps she, more than anyone else, recognized the difficulty of escaping the Level Three as is – she had fearfully watched her fellow converted Akuma die horribly at the hands of Level Threes, been easily held hostage by a single Akuma, and had nearly met the same fate at the metallic grip of the cannibalistic Level Threes. Now, she was flying swiftly through the trees – though being dragged and weighed down by the people she carried. _If she wanted to escape she would have left us, _he reasoned. _Cross must have powerful reprogramming skills..._

His train of thought was mercilessly hijacked as the Level Three's beam of light narrowly shot over his head, singing a bit of his long ponytail. Crashing sounds resounded through the forest as the Level Three drew closer, and every so often Bookman would catch a glimpse of reflected light off its metal armour. _Is she leading us to our death, then?_ he questioned, then mentally slapped himself for not asking it earlier.

Lavi wouldn't do it – wouldn't notice it – even he, Bookman, had just thought of it himself. Chomesuke may just have sold them out to the Level Three, feigning a battle in exchange for her own preservation, so she wouldn't meet the same fate as her fellow converted Akuma... and they had been following assumptions all this while: A converted Akuma still experienced enormous bloodlust and could very well flip anytime. Cross knew it, and usually installed self-destruct sequences whenever the Akuma's bloodlust raged out of control; but the Akuma were smart and may have figured out how to avoid that fate – or the lazy General had simply left that program out this time.

Drawing a packet of needles from the pocket of his robes, he flipped one small bundle out and held it in a hand as he continued to run through the undergrowth. Bookman's Innocence-laced weapons: not tough enough to leave a scratch on a Level Three, but certainly enough to bring down a Level Two. Running left him very little capability to aim, but he brought his hand close to his chest, the needle tips pointing outwards directly at the fleeing Chomesuke's back.

_So, it comes to this,_ he thought, detachedly.

Suddenly Chomesuke whirled around, a large body of yellow and white, the limp bodies in her arms gripping her even more tightly. Lurching forward, she swiftly struck out with her right foot, catching something right on the tip of her limb. Something fuzzy sped from her foot like a bullet, hitting the Level Three Akuma straight in the armoured face. Strangely enough, the projectile didn't bounce off, didn't explode, but draped itself over the Akuma's head with a wet splat, and the Akuma reeled backwards more than would be expected from a hit.

"This way cho!" Chomesuke's high-pitched voice dragged them onwards, away from the Akuma now clawing at its face. Stumbling out of the forest, they kept running, until the last sounds of Akuma voice and snapping bones died away behind them. Chomesuke led them to the nearby safehouse, dropping the Exorcists and sailors she held, where they collapsed into a numb but grateful heap. Chomesuke walked a couple of steps before she herself fell, purple light shimmering about her as she reverted back into her human "skin", the kimono-clad figure sprawled tiredly on the floor as the door closed behind her with a soft click.

"What about the Level Three?" Miranda worried aloud. Chomesuke laughed softly, sitting up tiredly. "Didn't you see? Kicked a hare at him, cho. Akuma'll eat anything... A bloody face will stop him from sniffing you out cho," she grinned, fists clenching and unclenching jerkily.

For the rest of that night, everyone kept a short distance from Chomesuke.

---

With the rising sun, some the fear of the previous night dissolved away. Chomesuke's chipper voice woke them up once again at the start of dawn, and they went about preparing for that day's long trek towards Edo. Bookman's sharp eye noted that Chomesuke looked significantly more drawn and pale, and despite her chirpy voice, she was quieter than usual.

If Lavi had noticed it, he didn't show it. "Hey Chome – why do you say 'cho'? It's so kawaii~ " Lavi yelled at Chomesuke across the room, grinning at her in his usual, happy manner. _Idiot apprentice..._ Bookman made a mental note to flying-kick Lavi into the nearest Akuma the next fight.

"Eh, cho –" Chomesuke blushed slightly, but otherwise remained silent. Bookman halted, noticing the hesitation in Chomesuke's voice. The Akuma had sort of prided herself on her knowledge of the local area – was she now a little afraid to answer a question that she didn't know? _Or,_ he reasoned,_ did Lavi hit a sensitive nerve?_

Lenalee smiled, hobbling over to the Akuma. "Why, Chomesuke? It's interesting..." she smiled – for an instant, before her injured legs twitched in pain, sending Lenalee falling into Chomesuke's arms. Chomesuke grabbed Lenalee to prevent her from further stumbling, then gently released her after Chaoji stabilised her. "I, uh, don't know cho. It was probably something in Sachiko's life... maybe she had the habit cho?" she glanced at her hands – Sachiko's hands – then out of the window.

Bookman closed his eyes. He knew Lavi had already known she would give that answer, so why did he do it? Perhaps that idiot redhead was wiser than he thought...

_The Akuma has no knowledge of the people used to create it._

Bookman remained silent for a moment, then got up in a sudden motion. "Let's go."


	4. Night

**Hello all.**

**Many thanks once more to lupyne, as well as to all those who have read... I apologise for not updating in such a long period of time – recently commitments have really been catching up, but I do have some breathing space now. As always, titles have meanings...**

**So, without further ado, please enjoy!**

**hawk**

---

Chosen – Chapter Four

They had walked until noon, under the blazing sun and through stony valleys without any Akuma interference at all. Chomesuke led the pack once more, her pink kimono rustling in the wind as the Exorcists and sailors followed her footsteps. Timcampy, the golden golem, sat snugly on top of her almond-brown hair, fluttering golden wings once in a while. Although Chomesuke was eager to keep up their lack-of-running-into-Akuma streak, Lavi had been mumbling and groaning and complaining and finally declared, with finality, that it was time for lunch.

Bookman smacked his apprentice into the nearby stone wall.

Chomesuke looked worried, but after a quick search found them a small dry cave set in the stone wall of the valley they were in. "In here, cho," she called softly, the humans plodding slowly into the cave. It wasn't damp, but in fact rather dry, and the afternoon sun's rays did not fill the cave entirely. It would have been an adequate hideout from Akumas, reasoned Chomesuke, and anyway, now, it would just have to do.

Lavi was the first in the cave, happily mumbling to himself about some kinds of food. Chomesuke betrayed a smile as he passed – his antics were a breath of fresh air into a stuffy climate of fear, even if they occasionally put them into more danger – but Lavi was right now more concerned about his stomach. Next past were Lenalee and Miranda, carried on the backs of the sailors, then Krory. They smiled at Chomesukeas they passed, and Chomesuke returned the favour with a respectful nod.

Bookman didn't pass her. His steps came to an abrupt halt, the converted Akuma looking up, suprised. Bookman looked straight on into the cave, with Chomesuke at his side, although Chomesuke knew that the wizened old man was looking at the company of humans within the cave, but not seeing them.

"Sachiko." "Old man, I said to call me Chomesuke, didn't I cho?" Chomesuke feigned annoyance, her childish voice faked indignant. In reality, she knew – and she knew he knew – that Bookman was serious.

"Sachiko." Bookman continued, as though she hadn't spoken. Turning to face her, he produced a small packet of cloth from a pocket in his large Exorcist blazer. With both hands, he presented the packet to her, his eyes still fixed on hers. "Thank you."

Chomesuke was momentarily stunned. Bookman continued. "I have met with General Cross before. I know what will happen. And so do you, I suppose." Chomesuke numbly nodded, slowly, once. "And so. Here. Thank you." The Akuma, stunned, nodded and bowed, then gingerly reached out to take the packet, weighing the surprisingly light packet of cloth in her hand.

"Careful," Bookman warned. As if on cue, Chomesuke gave a little cry, reflexively jerking a hand away from the packet, wincing, as the cloth packet fell to the ground with a tinkle. Bookman bent down, picking it up and rearranging it. "Tim will hold it for you, for now." Timcampy lifted off Chomesuke's head, then, with an impossibly wide mouth, swallowed the packet whole, containing it within his metallic body.

Chomesuke looked on numbly, holding her left wrist weakly with her right hand. Akuma weren't really supposed to have much feelings, but an odd pang and a strange sensation came over this one. Chomesuke stuttered, attempting to gather her thoughts. "I – I guess I should thank you, Book-" Bookman stopped her mid-sentence, holding up one hand. "No," he said quietly, without any emotion at all.

"Thank _you_, Sachiko."

---

Inside the cave, Lavi had already opened, consumed, and tossed aside two cans of rations, and was hungrily attacking his third. The other Exorcists shook their heads, before they, too, started on their own can of rations. The tired sailors gratefully accepted the tin cans that Krory was handing out. Ship's rations, saved from the doomed ship they were once on, were now all that was left of it, and they raised the cans to their lips in remembrance of their fallen comrades.

Bookman and Chomesuke sat down silently, looking on for a while at their hungry companions. Eventually, Bookman reached for a tin himself, but Chomesuke did nothing else but to continually look behind her shoulder, back at the cave mouth. Eventually Lavi stopped chewing and noticed the converted Akuma. Between mouthfuls of rations, he called out. "Chome(munch), come and eat!" Krory took out another tin of rations, and offered it to her.

Chomesuke declined. "Akuma don't eat cho!" she chided him lightly. "Besides –" Suddenly, the words choked her throat, rendering Chomesuke temporarily speechless. Krory, in putting back the tin, had accidentally slit himself across the forearm. It wasn't a deep or serious cut, and Krory smacked himself for his carelessness. Miranda shrank away from the sight of blood, while Lavi playfully teased him. "Kuro-chan, why are you so careless? How am I going to trust you to steal Zokalo's chainsaw?..."

At the same time, Chomesuke's hands twitched involuntarily, her eyes suddenly staring, fixated, on the Exorcists. Veins throbbed mightily in her temples, and she suddenly clutched her head as if a headache was attacking. Gradually she pulled her hands away from her face, her previous composure regained, and smiled weakly at no one in particular. The Exorcists had turned their attention to her, and were watching her with a genuine sense of concern mixed with apprehension and fear.

"Besides, cho," she whispered, "I'm not hungry."

---

"Bloodlust." Chomesuke jerked her head sideways, staring at the short Bookman. They were on the road again, having satisfied Lavi's constant whining for food, and were now making their way out of the stone valley. Bookman was directly beside Chomesuke, his eyes looking forward, continuing forward with regular steps even as Chomesuke halted. The other Exorcists were surprised too. Seeing as how Bookman encouraged them to trust Chomesuke in the first place, knowing General Cross' ability to convert Akuma, a confrontation like this with the very Akuma who he had got everyone to trust seemed so out-of-the-ordinary.

"Bloodlust. Explain it."

Chomesuke nodded once, then continued walking, her back facing the rest of the Exorcists. They hurried to keep up, as Chomesuke had picked up her walking speed, and she had always kept her voice soft in the open, for fear of attracting Akuma. "Bloodlust is what Akuma are born with cho. Why do you think Akuma kill? Even Level Threes? Because we are programmed to cho – bloodlust is natural for Akuma." She paused. "It's even fun cho." A grin slowly started to form on her lips.

Lavi laughed nervously. "But you're converted, right?" Chomesuke nodded, the grin disappearing from her face. "_Hai_. But that doesn't mean that I'm free cho. Even Cross-gensei can't override the bloodlust, he just suppresses it cho. Or perhaps he can, but he's too lazy..." Chomesuke mused for a second. After that, she continued in her cheerful voice, but this time it had more than just a touch of melancholy. "So, my bloodlust is kept under control. For now. Sooner or later, Cross-gensei's programming will break."

The humans involuntarily fell back a step from Chomesuke, viewing her in an entirely new light. So Cross' conversion techniques were not foolproof after all? They warily viewed the kimono-clad figure in an entirely new light now... Chomesuke the converted Akuma, Chomesuke the boat motor, Chomesuke the guide... and now, Chomesuke the ticking time-bomb. She knew it, and turned to face them, a small smile on their face."Relax, cho, it's not going to happen anytime soon cho!" she chided. "By the time that happens, you'll probably have reached Edo a couple time over already cho." Krory relaxed just a little, while Miranda still fearfully hid her eyes behind Masao the sailor.

"Well then... To make it to Edo faster, shall we move a bit quicker cho?" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and stepped forward, her wooden sandals clicking softly against the stone ground.

Lavi shot Bookman a glance as he silently followed Chomesuke. _You knew it. So why did you ask?_ he thought.

Bookman turned his head slightly, as if in response to Lavi's glare, but continued walking, his right eye glancing at Lavi. _You knew it too. Why did you not ask?_

Lavi fell silent and fell in step behind Bookman.

---

"_Aww, that's a pretty kimono!" "You look great!" "Where are you going all dressed up like this?" The young girl smiled brightly, then pointed in a generic direction. "To meet someone." She slowly walked off, her wooden sandals clicking softly against the ground. It got more and more deserted as she walked, until she came to a point where there were no one else in sight, but a large iron-wrought gate._

_Slowly she pushed the left gate open, sliding past before the gates closed with an ominous clang. She shivered once, then continued on her path. She knew her destination, and her feet led her there – one step, two steps, and then, before she knew it, she had arrived._

_Sachiko knelt down in front of the grave. "H- hello there," she whispered, her childlike voice reduced to a hoarse croak, running her fingers past the name engraved upon the cold headstone, even as a tear traced a familiar path down her cheek. "It's – it's me..."_

_Her sobs grew into wails as Sachiko screamed into the night._


	5. Kill

**Hello all.**

**I apologise for the long delay, recent commitments have sapped much of my writing time – as usual. I think I will set a time – updating once a fortnight **_**at the very worst**_**. I hope to update more often, of course.**

**I am actually considering not writing the last chapter, or last few chapters of **_**Chosen**_**, just for a while, while I expand Chomesuke's backstory. Still, neither this chapter or the next chapter is the last one, so that will be discussed further later, I suppose. Although the plot has been planned, I think it will probably be better if I write about the past first. What do you think?**

**Suddenly, I also realised that the fic deviates from the manga. In the manga, the later half of this chapter occurs directly after meeting Kawanmura. But here, I have taken the liberty of delaying it, so I hope you don't mind. And so, I actually deviate from the canon. Ah.**

**It **_**is**_** a fanfiction, after all, and I don't claim to own -man.**

**Please enjoy!**

**hawk**

---

Chosen – Chapter Five

After the much-requested lunch break, the group found themselves facing yet another problem: too much food. Coupled with a hot afternoon sun, the humans dragged their feet and yawned, wanting very much to just lie down and sleep. Lavi was the most vocal proponent of this, voicing out his opinion every couple of steps, much to the irritation of Bookman.

Chomesuke smiled weakly at his antics, but urged them on forwards. Besides, if his mouth could move so could his feet, she reasoned.

But more importantly, she was worried. She knew she didn't have much time allocated to her. Already her original programming was reawakening, further aroused from their slumber from the sight and smell Krory's blood. _So alluring..._ she shook her head vigorously, causing a surprised Timcampi to nearly tumble from his perch. Laughing softly, she caught the yellow golem in her hands and replaced him, nestling him snugly in a nook in her hair.

They had left the rocky valley behind, and now were ascending a small mountain, on a rickety mountain path carved out on its side. From there, Chomesuke pointed, they would be able to finally see Edo. And after descending, they would journey on foot for another hour or so before reaching the outskirts of the city. Lenalee had almost leaped for joy at the announcement, and Lavi nearly fell off the cliff. Chuckling to herself, Chomesuke swayed the lantern in her hand from side to side, the little glimmer of light bobbing in the dark night.

Unfortunately, night had already darkened the skies when they had reached their vantage point, so they couldn't see much of Edo except for a gleaming, eerie-looking tower that rose unnaturally over the rest of the city. Nevertheless, the mere sight of Edo cheered the group, whose destination was finally at hand – and spurred them to continue walking.

Chomesuke felt considerably more relaxed. Their – well, hers, at any rate – perilous journey was almost over, and she had successfully guided them through the Akuma-infested labyrinth of Japan, all the way inland to Edo! Even with setbacks and delays, she was still around, and although her time was running short, they would be able to reach Edo before her reprogramming finally caved in. She sighed, brushing back a lock of hair from her forehead, Timcampi flapping his wings.

A cool breeze sprung up around them, playfully chasing leaves about their feet, causing Chomesuke's kimono and the humans' cloaks to billow slightly in the wind. Pausing, Chomesuke turned and faced the group. They shuffled to a stop, looking at her expectantly. Although the night was already setting in, Chomesuke's face was half-lit from the weak lantern light, illuminating her soft features and a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen cho," she gestured with her free hand, sweeping it in a wide arc behind her. Their excited gaze quickly followed followed her fingers, eagerly taking in the short mudpath from the forest, the quiet one-story terrace houses, and the large tower looming behind them in the center of the city. The crescent moon had already risen, casting a soft glow on the town, the rooftiles of a thousand rooftops imperfectly reflecting the moonlight.

Miranda sobbed softly into the shoulder of Kie. Lenalee slowly drew in a short breath, not daring to believe her eyes. The rest of the Exorcists and sailors looked on in silent awe, at the town spread beneath them, their objective of days of travelling, now not even ten minutes walk from where they stood.

"Welcome to Edo."

---

As the Exorcists quietly oohed and aahed at Edo spread beneath them, Chomesuke allowed her hand holding the lantern to droop, turning to look at the tall tower in the dead centre of Edo. She sighed a soft sigh, allowing the wind to caress her brown hair and to curl its fingers through its locks.

And then it happened.

An intense headache wracked her very person, as if someone had shot a bullet into her head at close range. Chomesuke wailed, hands instinctively clutching her temples as she fell to her knees. The lantern fell, bouncing once on the soft earth, the light within flickering. The humans immediately gave her their undivided attention, Edo forgotten for a moment. Lavi dropped down beside her, while Bookman looked impassively on.

"What's wrong, Sachiko?" "You idiot – I told you – to call me Chomesuke – didn't I?" Chomesuke hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm getting a transmission from Earl-sama cho..."

Even though she was converted, the Millennium Earl apparently still had some control over her. Messages relayed to Akuma usually could be suppressed by Cross Marian's programming, and so this message breaking through the barriers was indeed a cause for concern. Either Cross' programming was losing its effectiveness, or –

"Huge transmission – neh – I'm getting dizzy..." Chomesuke whined. "Ahh –"

The message was short, terse, and very powerful. The natural allure of the maker's commands compelled Akuma to obey them instantly, and this particular transmission had the Earl's fingerprints all over it. The conflict between the message and her duty drove Chomesuke practically insane, torn in two different directions, her hands moving jerkily as she gripped at her forehead. Timcampi, shaken from his perch, crept towards Chomesuke, Bookman's present in his mouth, but Bookman motioned for it to stand aside. Timcampi understood, and retreated. The time had not yet come.

"From the range and power of this transmission – The Earl is calling for all Akuma in Japan to gather – " Chomesuke reported in ragged breaths, the group falling silent.

All the Akuma in Japan? All the Level Threes in Japan? And countless other Level Twos? And where were they gathering? Questions flew about everyone's head, but no one dared to asked Chomesuke anything else.

The Earl's voice resounded over and over in her head, filling her entire consciousness with his resounding command. Her eyes flickered, occasionally losing their colour, before she shut them and curled up, still clutching her temples, ignoring the humans' shouts and all external noise. Yet still his voice boomed, so alluring, so commanding, and at the same time, Cross' programming resisted its continuous blows of the Earl's message. After what seemed to be an eternity, but in reality just a couple of seconds, something finally started to give.

"I am an Akuma modified by Cross Marian –" Chomesuke gasped at the words, almost like a chant to focus, while her hair fell about her face in disarray, her face contorting. "I can act on my own without feeling the – need to obey –" The human gang looked on, wanting to help but knowing that there was absolutely nothing to be done.

"– the need to obey – the Earl-sama's – " Chomesuke hissed through gritted teeth.

"– the Earl-sama's –" The humans watched, petrified, as the kimono-clad figure stuttered.

"– the Earl-sama's – orders –" Chomesuke voice petered out, still shivering violently. Gradually she shook less and less with each passing second, and she calmed down. Lavi raised a hopeful eyebrow, while Chomesuke remained still, hands still ready to tear out hair.

_I am an Akuma modified by Cross Marian. I can act on my own without feeling the need to obey the Earl's orders._

_But this message from the Earl-sama is strong..._

"Too – strong ..."

Chomesuke opened her eyes, fully black and devoid of colour, eerily out of place on her otherwise beautiful face.

"I'm sorry, Rabi." Chomesuke had stood up, her kimono settling slowly about her. "Chome?" Lavi asked, half-curious, half-unsure, and a little afraid. Her bloodlust hadn't been unleashed, otherwise she would have wasted no time attacking the tempting group of humans right in front of her, but evidently something was not quite the same as it had been.

"I have to go to the Earl-sama..." Chomesuke's voice came out in a lifeless whisper, almost apologetic. A slight frown was etched upon her features, and her black eyes, although unmistakeably changed, were twisted into an expression of sadness. "Wait!" Lenalee jolted, calling out to her in a sharp cry as Chomesuke swayed slightly on her feet. "By going to the Earl, you mean..."

Chomesuke opened her mouth to speak, and the announcement, the message that had killed her defences, the transmission that had commanded all the Akuma in Japan to gather; that announcement fell effortlessly from her lips.

_In Edo. The Imperial Captial. Right now._

_The Millennium Earl-sama has come._


	6. Expected

**Hello all.**

**Many thanks goes to waterlit, Souldin, and Chocolate and caramel, as well as Holly-Batali! Thank you all for your kind support...**

_**Chosen**_** will be taking a hiatus after this chapter – but in the meantime, do look out for other -Man fics. The aim of this break is to create more backstory for Chomesuke and other characters first, and the last chapter of **_**Chosen**_** will be coming out in a while. Apologies for the delay!**

**Meanwhile, I hope you will be able to enjoy this chapter, and thank you all for your kind support and readership!**

**hawk**

---

Chosen – Chapter Six

Ironically, Chomesuke still led them into Edo, after warning them to prepare against attacks. They weaved through the narrow streets of Edo, Chomesuke's walking becoming even more jerky and mechanic. Thankfully, she was only forced to go into Edo (which she had planned to do anyway) and thus was still able to aid the humans, leading them along the least Akuma-populated parts of the city.

The destination seemed to be the tall tower in the centre of the city, where according to Chomesuke, the Earl was gathering the Akuma. Above them, Level Threes flew past, as numerous as flies, swarming towards the tower in solid black streams. Ushering them into a safehouse nearest the tower, Chomesuke looked nervously at the growing black cloud around the tower's top, knowing the Millenium Earl himself was perched on its very tip.

The tower was an odd one, with its bottom destroyed and shattered. It literally hung suspended meters above the sky, its bottom ballooned out and shredded, while its top remained sturdy and strong. An impossibility of construction, it aptly represented the impossibility of their situation. As the thousands of Akuma gathered, a single pinprick of black danced upon the tower's apex, and the growing crowd of Akuma fell silent.

"My playthings, do you hear my voice?"

The Earl's voice magnified, its echoed across the entire expanse of Edo, audible to everyone within its walls. Its tone was at once soothing, commanding, and yet not forced or shouted. It was as if he was a father addressing his children, but with an underlying steely authority behind his silky voice. Chomesuke shuddered involuntarily, and retreated to a corner of the safehouse. The Exorcists looked out of a crack in a window shutter, seeing the black cloud around the tower glow purple as the Akuma clamoured at his voice.

"Yes, Earl-sama!" "Earl-sama!" "Earl-sama!" Snatches of Akuma voices floated down from the sky, mostly made out of the same phrases repeated by innumerable Akuma. Chomesuke grinned weakly, sardonically. "Yes, Earl-sama," she mimicked, sighing, slumping into the corner and clutching her ears.

Lavi beat his fist into the wall. "This won't do, Gramps," The Bookman looked up. "The best action here is not inaction." Lavi knew Bookman's adherence to the policy of non-intervention, and if they were to have any opportunity at all to fight, Lavi wanted in. Bookman merely closed his eyes. "Explain."

"General Tiedoll's team of Exorcists is on its way to Edo as well. We know that for sure," Lavi mused, counting off his fingers. "Based on how long we took to get here, even with Chomesuke, we are inevitably delayed because we have injured Exorcists." He nodded at Miranda and Lenalee. "Besides, I doubt Yuu-chan would let anyone rest on the way here, not even Tiedoll-gensei..."

Straightening up, he clenched his fist, concluding his argument. "Therefore, Tiedoll's Exorcist team _will_ be arriving in Edo soon. And until then, we should fight, because if not, once this situation is lost, it will be impossible to contain. Plus, if we don't fight they'll find us anyway," Lavi sighed. "Sorry, Chome, but this safehouse won't be safe for much longer." Chomesuke smiled weakly, and nodded tiredly.

Miranda and Krory walked into their conversation, interrupting both of their trains of thought. "So, should we attack?" Krory enquired, glancing from Bookman to Lavi. Bookman glared at Lavi, then turned to Krory and Miranda. "Yes. Yes, I believe we shall."

---

"Attack, my Akuma!" The Earl's voice resounded louder and clearer, and a purple flash suddenly glared from the tower's apex. Lavi tensed, his hand already at his hammer. Bookman, Krory and Miranda waited, hanging on to the Earl's words and his next movement.

Realising what was happening, Chomesuke suddenly got up, staggering over to where the Exorcists were. "Are you crazy cho? Fighting? Against _all_ the Akuma in Japan? You couldn't even take down one cho!" Chomesuke chided them, her voice laced with real concern and fear. What's worse, Lavi's main argument for fighting was that General Tiedoll's team was expected to arrive as soon as possible, and who knew where they were now?

As if on cue, and to make matters worse, above them thousands upon millions of Level Three Akuma exploded from the tower, flying outwards like a many-armed flower, ready to do the Earl's bidding. The Earl's sonorous voice resounded through Edo.

"Take down the Generals as one!"

---

"How long more, Sachiko?" Bookman had stared impassively at the Akuma, who had turned around and looked back at him. "Look, Gramps," Chomesuke had attempted to joke, "I don't have a countdown timer to self-destruct, okay cho?" She then continued along her path, leading them along the dark and narrow streets of Edo, turning into a corner.

Thanks to Cross' programming, a self-destruct mechanism would be triggered once the desire for bloodlust got out of control. It equated to a destruction of an Akuma – without the use of Innocence, one which usually condemned the soul used to power it to oblivion, instead of being freed. Chomesuke had often wondered what it would be like, but neither being the soul used to power her body, nor even know whose soul was powering her body, the question often slipped unanswered from her mind.

How ironic that she was surrounded by Exorcists, yet she expected that she would probably be destroyed without the use of Innocence. Chomesuke thought about this, and let out a bitter laugh, Timcampi fluttering his wings slightly.

Bookman disregarded this, already knowing about the self-destruct sequence. "Not much more cho." Chomesuke grew sombre, a vein visibly throbbing in her right temple. "But it's okay," she had smiled weakly, "I'm not that hungry yet."

---

"_That's a nice kimono." Sachiko looked up in surprise. There shouldn't be anyone else in the graveyard at this hour – and anyway, how did anyone come up behind her without her hearing any footsteps? She looked behind, and seeing no one, her childish fear kicked in. Scrambling to her feet, she shook her head wildly, eyes screwed shut tight, preparing to run from the graveyard._

"_Over here." The voice was mellow and almost melodious, and Sachiko opened her eyes just a crack. Resting his arms on the gravestone was an absurdly fat silhouette, with an impeccable top-hat which was quite out of Japanese style. Shadows covered the entire being's body, but he now stepped out and revealed himself in the pale moonlight. Sachiko, although still scared, was no longer as frenzied as she was, and she calmed down and eyed the stranger warily._

_The being stepped forward, a pair of pince-nez spectacles balanced precariously on his nose, his mouth stretched into a fantastic grin. It was as if it had been fixed there, for his grin did not disappear whenever he spoke, and his glasses flashed small reflections of moonlight as he moved. A dull yellowish coat covered his impossibly fat build, ending in Victorian coattails. The being now stopped in his tracks, and turned back and set his eyes upon the silent grave._

"_Death is such a horrible thing, yes?" His voice was positively melodious now, and despite her fear Sachiko found herself inclining to agree. She nodded her head once, sniffing. The fat being nodded and guffawed. "Who was it?" "It was – it was..." Sachiko had opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly found tears choking her voice, and she fell back onto her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Dear me." The stranger's voice was casual, although he started walking towards Sachiko. The child was still crying, drenching the sodden earth below with her tears like many before her, but with an added sorrow which no one else had._

"_I can call the dead back, you know." Sachiko stopped abruptly, still sniffing, and looked up at the fat visitor. "Really?" she coughed, the tears still running down her cheeks. The being bent low, so that his glasses were staring straight into Sachiko's eyes. "Yes, really."_

_As he stood up and flourished his hands, Sachiko noticed a large gray metallic frame beside the gravestone, inexplicably standing upright and hovering. Within it was contained the pieces of a humanoid mannequin, all arranged in perfect order, except it was still attached to the frame. The portly stranger literally danced up to it, then presented it to Sachiko with the air of a benevolent father happy to offer his daughter a great gift._

"_I need your voice, as someone who knew the dead. Just call out the name, and the dead will come back to you... away from the horrible land of the dead." The stranger smiled even wider at her, and Sachiko noticed that even though tears had started to stream from behind his glasses, his grin was still perpetually frozen on his face. Still, Sachiko looked longingly at the metal frame, imagining the mannequin come alive, look around, and then embrace the young Sachiko in its grasp... "T- Thank you," she breathed, although the stranger shook his head and laughed. "Thank _you_," he replied._

_Sachiko looked away from this stranger, the bearer of great news, and stepped a step towards the frame. It towered high above the young child, the mannequin as tall as an average adult. Sachiko swayed on the spot, the tears running freely down her face and embracing the cold earth below, then cupped her little hands to her mouth and screamed, calling out the name of who lay at rest in the grave._

_The Millennium Earl's grin grew even wider as he heard the little girl's heartrending cry._

_A flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder, then a purple streak fell from the sky and consumed the flame in a fiery flame. Sachiko stumbled backwards, scared. The frame faded away, leaving the mannequin behind, as a name and a pentagram was inscribed in the back of its head. The purple fire faded away, and the mannequin moved unsurely, wondering where it was. There were no eyes in its head, just a dull gray texture, and a skeletal jaw. Its head suddenly swivelled, and stared straight at Sachiko._

"_Sa – ki –" Sachiko stood slowly to her feet, her eyes still transfixed on the mannequin. "Sa – ki –" the machine repeated, its voice coming in a hoarse whisper. Sachiko stepped forward, her eyes once again filling with tears. "You could never say my name right..." She started running, the tears of sorrow and sadness replaced with those of joy, towards the one who was seemingly restored to her._

"_SAKICHO!" the machine roared, its voice suddenly found. "SAKICHO!" The girl stopped abruptly, her kimono flapping about her. "Why did you turn me into an Akuma!" the machine roared once again, its voice positively vibrating with anger. Sachiko stepped backwards, misjudged, and fell. Shifting backwards, she now stared up at the mannequin with uneasy eyes. "Don't be angry..." she pleaded. "You're alright now..."_

_She suddenly felt the visitor's shoes behind her, and whirled around, with pleading eyes. The Earl, however, held her gently by the shoulders, turning her around to look at the advancing skeletal mannequin, which was now so different from what Sachiko had so happily expected._

"_That," he grinned, "is an Akuma."_


	7. Died

**Hello all.**

**As you may have guessed, I am now off my hiatus and am finally concluding **_**Chosen**_**. Thank you all for your generous support and kind reviews and criticisms, as well as waiting for so long… Many thanks to waterlit, lupyne, Chocolate and caramel and Souldin for their review on the previous chapter!**

**And I am so sorry, it appears I uploaded the wrong conclusion to the wrong story! Ah, the perils of working with similiar titles... I apologise!**

**The entire Chomesuke story is only a part of a greater arc. Hopefully, time permitting, I will be starting up a new fic or entire series on this greater, overarching storyline.**

**I think I must admit – I spelled Sachiko as "Sakicho" a few times while writing. Ah well.**

**Meanwhile, thank you all once again for your support, Diclonious57, Kyuu333, waterlit, Pika318 and Chocolate and caramel, as well as 0Infinity0 and Holly-Batali! Special thanks must go out to lupyne and Souldin as well... ****Even for those who just read the fic, your support is really appreciated!**

**As always, please do feel free to comment and leave constructive criticism.  
Thank you all once again –**

**hawk**

---

Chosen – Chapter Seven

They stood no chance. After Lavi had challenged the Earl, the present four Noahs, and the countless Akumas, a single Noah had casually defeated him comprehensively. The Earl wasn't visible where she was, but Chomesuke was positive she heard a snicker.

Actually – Tyki Mikk hadn't defeated Lavi yet – but was merely toying about, feeling bored and looking to vent his frustration. The Noah had actually courteously allowed for Lavi to stand up each time he got thrown into a roof, wall, or ground – and Lavi was quickly tiring of the game.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Exorcists didn't have it easy either. At the Earl's command, thousands upon thousands of Akumas fused together, being drawn into an impossibly large shape. The Combined Akuma surveyed its surroundings, then let out a bestial yet mechanical roar.

"Whaa –" "That's nothing!" brushed Bookman, although he was clearly as surprised as everybody else. "Those idiot machines just joined together to form a bigger idiot machine! Take it down!" Krory clapped his hands, running the tip of his tongue over his dry lips – the taste of Akuma blood, finally! He bared his fangs and leapt into the air, followed quickly after by the small figure of Bookman…

---

Chomesuke, as one of the "idiot machines", laughed softly. Plucking Timcampy from her head, she shook the golem playfully, even though she quickly felt her energy draining away from her. Retrieving Bookman's present, still wrapped in the cloth, she felt its light weight, and then unwrapped it slightly to expose the present within.

The pale light glinted on Bookman's Innocence-laced needle as she held it in its cloth. Even through the cloth, as weakened as she was, the very presence of the needle made her left hand go numb. She laughed inwardly: how weak she had become! Shaking that aside, she picked up a couple of metallic bottles, and then placed the needle on her right wrist.

---

… and as predicted, the combined efforts of Bookman, Miranda and Krory had virtually no effect upon the gigantic Combined Akuma. All their attacks were shrugged off as it hit the lower parts of the Akuma's legs, and meanwhile behind it congregating clouds of Akuma started to create more Combined Akuma.

Meanwhile, the one they were currently engaged in opened its large mouth, a purple circle materializing in front of it. Raising its arms in a grotesque fashion about it, a hoarse guttural voice drawled slowly. The Akuma croaked: "Evil – Star – Gita…" Faster than any of its actions to date, a gigantic purple circle appeared behind it, with a pentagram inscribed on it: from its points spiralling beams of destruction trailed, lashing the Edo landscape, leaving the once-picturesque view of Edo in tatters. Chomesuke's safehouse narrowly avoided destruction thanks to Miranda's Time Out ability, but only just.

Lavi jumped as the attack struck, the neighbor of the house he was on being torn apart violently by the sheer force of the attack. Meanwhile, Tyki Mikk descended upon him again, taunting him in a low drawl. Lavi raised his hammer to block, but it was no use – one flare of light later, Lavi found himself half-buried in the rubble of a wall. Bookman yelled at him.

"Idiot – I thought you said you were going to beat the crap out of him?" "I could say the same for you, Gramps," Lavi deadpanned as best as he could, while trying to pull himself out of the ruins of the wall.

"He's one person – we've this big idiot machine!" yelled Bookman. "That's no point for comparison… the only weak point is his head, and so far all the highest we've gone is to skin his knee!" Before Lavi could retort, there was an unexpected interruption in the form of Chomesuke's calm voice.

"I'll fly you up to the top of his head." Lavi and Bookman immediately stopped, turning their heads to look at her. Lavi spoke first – "Chome…" but Chomesuke cut him off, a vein throbbing visibly in the forehead, her eyes completely black.

"I don't have much time left anyway… I've made it much further than I ever thought I would, cho. I guess I should deserve some applause for sticking with it all the way to the end…" Miranda teared, sobbing into Lenalee's shoulder, who quickly wrapped her arm about the older Exorcist. At the sound, Chomesuke mechanically jerked her head, walking over to where the two were.

"Pass this to the old vampire, will you cho?" she smiled, and although it looked frightening on her face with the black eyes, they couldn't help but smile back, if only a little, on the edges of their lips, with tears still running down Miranda's face. Chomesuke ran her fingers over the ornate decoration on the outside of a small bottle, then passed a small basket containing a few bottles over to the Exorcists.

_Level Two Akuma blood – not as tasty as a Level Three's, presumably – but it'll help him nonetheless,_ thought Chomesuke, grateful for her long-sleeved kimono to hide the growing wound on the right wrist.

Turning back to the three Exorcists, she nodded. Suddenly shedding her human façade, leaving the monstrous form of the Akuma behind, Chomesuke beckoned them to leap on board. With Lavi, Bookman and Krory perched on her shoulders, Chomesuke mock-saluted the rest of the group, then kicked off into the air.

At this new – if slightly feeble – threat, Evil Star Gita was unleashed again. Chomesuke skillfully dodged the incoming projectiles in the air, looping over and under the continuous purple blasts – for the first six seconds.

A beam tore through Chomesuke's right, ripping off the mechanical arm, Krory narrowly avoided being blown clean off the Akuma's back. Thrown off balance, Chomesuke veered, making herself an easy target for another beam to tear right through her left flank, destroying her limbs on the left. Chomesuke whined as electricity began to crackle about her head, and smoke started to seep from the many cracks in her metallic exterior.

They continued in this way for a few more interminable seconds, before they reached half of the Combined Akuma's height. By this point, the combined effects of the damage dealt to Chomesuke had stretched the Akuma to the positive breaking point, with the metallic covering coming off in rusted and blackened parts. "Go!" she urged them, and with a moment's hesitation, Lavi and Krory kicked off, leaping the rest of the distance up. Bookman also crouched down to jump, but whispered a word to the Akuma which cut through all the noise and the cacophony of battle.

"Thanks."

Immediately after Chomesuke felt Bookman's feet launch himself off of her, she gave up the fight and lost altitude, spiraling downwards towards the city. She saw the destroyed city rushing up towards her, but also felt the circuits within burning out and being consumed by the Akuma's attacks, something which would eventually condemn the soul that powered her to oblivion.

Timcampy fluttered about her head as she fell, an expression of concern etched onto his strange face. "Timcampy…" she weakly called out, as her diction blurred and the her vision sensors started to fail.

Even through the miasma, she saw the glistening of her present in Timcampy's mouth, and the questioning expression on his face. The tips of her strange, cracked lips lifted upwards in a semblance of a smile, and Timcampy took it as his cue. Flying straight, he thrust the needle straight, deep into the middle of Chomesuke's head, and flew off.

Chomesuke closed her eyes as she felt the Innocence in the needle course through the remnants of her broken being. At this level, even a single needle would be sufficient to assure her destruction.

_Who are you? _she wondered about the soul which – or who? – yearned for freedom, and now would finally get it. How thoughtful of Bookman. _I hope you'll be happy cho…_ She tried to grin, bits of metal crinkling and falling off in the process.

And then her world went blank.

---

Surprisingly, Lavi was right. General Theodore's team arrived soon after, the Exorcists making short work of the rest of the Akuma in the area. All told, it wasn't a convincing victory, for the Earl destroyed Edo utterly anyway, and then inexplicably retreated with the promise of return.

Bookman's present unknown to the rest of the squad, the Exorcists had watched in horror the spectacular demise of a single Akuma whose very existence was arguably a mistake that they had sworn to correct. Still, they found a little piece of their heart shattering – if only a little – and even though Lavi never let any of it show on his face, his heart cringed at the splitting sound of the explosion behind him.

Again unknown to all except Bookman, Chomesuke actually found something she was looking for. Unsurprisingly, all her years of being an Akuma – even Cross' – didn't earn her a single word of thanks.

Many Akuma died that night, but there was only grieving for one.

---

_SA-KI-CHO seemed to be the only word the Akuma knew, as it advanced towards the trembling girl. Sachiko whined inarticulately as the Earl of the Millenium gripped her lightly by her shoulders, forcing her to watch as the metal skeleton lumbered towards her._

"_Why did you turn me into an Akuma!" roared the machine, except its human voice quavered and broke on the last syllable. If it had tears it would be choking it back by now – but the Akuma's body jerkily followed orders from the Earl, slowly and mechanically walking across the cemetery grounds towards Sachiko._

"_Because I chose to, didn't I?" The Millennium Earl's grin froze for a moment, than grew imperceptibly wider. The girl's honesty – and naïveté – was indeed refreshing; he wondered when he'd find another human like that. How ironic, really: the Akuma had no choice whatsoever. Shrugging a little, he lazily stretched a gloved finger in the Akuma's direction. "You there," he drawled. The Akuma's head automatically swiveled to face him._

"_Kill her, and wear her skin," he suggested, holding a petrified Sachiko in his grip. She struggled weakly, but the Earl tsk-tsked and held her a little tighter._

"_Eh – wh –" If Sachiko was scared before, she was absolutely terrified now. Fear rooted her to the spot, unable to even react. The Akuma grew closer still, still yelling the same question over and over, and hurling curses every which way, mind unwilling but body moving to take over Sachiko's place, to silently cause her death without anyone else grieving for her at all._

"_Why did you – turn me – into an Akuma! Sa – ki – cho!" The Akuma's breath seemingly became ragged, as it reached the spot where the Millennium Earl gently held Sachiko in his arms. Stepping back, he released her from his grip – the result being that Sachiko immediately crumpled onto the floor, her knees buckling from underneath here; while keeping her teary eyes focused on the Akuma._

"_SA – KI –" "Because I chose to…" whimpered Sachiko, vision blurring from tears, but even so clearly discerning the metal arm jerkily rising above her head. "SA – SA – KI –" The Akuma faltered a moment, heavy lethal metal arm held high above Sachiko's fragile skull, jerkily frozen in place but shuddering all over._

"_Because I chose to! – I chose to!" wailed Sachiko, suddenly leaping forward, not away. Grabbing onto the metal mannequin, she sobbed into the metal as if it were a comforting human shoulder. The cold metal stung her cheek but she didn't care, containing to cry and cry out. Around them, the drizzle exploded and became a positive downpour, rain cascading noisily about them._

_The Earl nonchalantly flicked a finger across his throat._

_The Akuma came back to life, its metal arm reaching higher and higher in the air, readying itself for the inevitable fatal strike, straight into Sachiko's skull. The girl herself simply busied herself by hugging the Akuma's torso, while the Akuma screamed. "Chose to? _Chose to? CHOSE TO! _Why!_ _Sakicho! SAKICHO! _SA – KI –"

**End **


End file.
